by Sarina Bowen & Lauren Blakely
Pub date: January 18, 2022
Format: Audio
Sarina Bowen is a perennial favorite so diving into any
Bowen release is a treat. Sexy-nerdy, single father Mark has been tasked with
overseeing the details of his younger sister’s destination wedding. No problem,
right? Except planning right alongside him is Asher, the groom’s devastatingly
hot best friend. Mark took an instant dislike to Asher and was the personification
of grumpy and difficult. But his attraction to Asher, the sultry Miami setting,
and Asher’s teasing and flirting all combined to change their dynamic in
surprising ways.
To put it simply, I loved these guys. Early on there were
times that I wanted to tell Mark to get over it and drop his need to clash with
Asher. He seemed to hold Asher’s looks and confidence against him as if were a
personal affront. LOL When they moved past their initial snarky banter and
started to really get to know one another I was all in. The Best Men delivered
the full package: passion, humor, and heart. The cherry on top was the
narration from my favorite dynamic duo: Teddy Hamilton and Jacob Morgan. *chef’s
kiss* 4.25 STARS
by Kait Nolan
Pub date: May 26, 2017
Format: eBook
Surviving a horrific car accident, Audrey was lucky to be
alive. Told she would likely never walk again, she endured countless surgeries
and physical therapy and proved them wrong. With a second lease on life, she
decides to attempt a nostalgic summer camp for adults. Coincidentally, it’s
there she meets Hudson, the firefighter who pulled her from the wreckage two years
ago. Hudson is dealing with a heavy dose of survivor’s guilt, having lost two
members of his team in a structure fire.
This was a sweet story of two people providing
unconditional support and acceptance to one another and understanding each
other’s trauma in a way that others could not. Audrey’s optimism and joie de
vivre was the perfect antidote to Hudson’s grief and guilt. At barely 200
pages there wasn’t a lot of time to develop the relationship, and everything
seemed to happen very quickly, but this was still a satisfying tale of healing
and leaving the past behind. 3.25 STARS
by Amy Knupp
Pub date: April 29, 2021
Format: Audio
As the owner of a home renovation company, Sierra knows
it is difficult enough being a woman in a profession dominated by men, so she’s
always careful to maintain a professional distance from her crew.
Even so, when she needs a plus-one to a family wedding, her foreman Cole offers
to fill that role. When the evening ends with a family crisis, Cole realizes
that having Sierra by his side was a step away from the lonely life he’d been
living.
I found myself way more interested and invested in Cole’s
story than Sierra’s. Sierra’s main issue was exploring a relationship with a
trusted employee but beyond that I didn’t feel there was much backstory or
character development. Cole, on the other hand, was a complicated character
with a lot of baggage. With a sky-high IQ, he still struggled with people and
relationships. When he chose to walk away from a college scholarship and follow
his own path, he felt the weight of his family’s expectations and he pulled
away and became quite the loner. It was his story that kept me interested and,
while the romance was enjoyable, it fell a bit short for me. Overall, a worthwhile read. 3.5 STARS
HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS?
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I have not read any of these, but I am not surprised to see you enjoyed the Bowen book. I can understand being more invested in Cole's story. I only read the short bit you shared, and I want to know more.
ReplyDeleteThe Bowen book was so good. I always love her characters. :)
DeleteTotally agree with you on The Best Men. Once Mark chilled out, it became fun, and he became my favorite. I wonder who wrote which character?
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the other two. They both sound emotional.
That would be interesting to know... who wrote which character.
DeleteI've read a few books by Lauren Blakely before and I enjoy her writing. These all look good.
ReplyDeleteI *think* was my first by Blakely and it was a fun way to be introduced to her writing... alongside one of my favorites. :)
DeleteI haven't read any of these, but I love the sound of them. Especially The Best Men sounds like my kind of book.
ReplyDeleteMaureen - I think you would really enjoy The Best Men!
DeleteThe Best Men was so good but I have to say that the audio with those two narrators would probably be even better!
ReplyDeleteCarole - I just adore those two narrators together. They are the best. :)
DeleteThe Best Men sounds like a good book! You're right that any Sarina Bowen book instantly falls on my radar because she always seems to deliver. And True North sounds good, I know you felt like the character of Sierra needed a bit more development but Cole sounds really great and I was interested as soon as you mentioned him posing as a date for a family wedding.
ReplyDeleteBecky - Sarina Bowen is a can't miss author for me. There's something about her writing and her characters that I always click with. :)
DeleteTrue North was good but not really memorable for me. But I really did like Cole and thought he was such an intriguing character.
So glad you like The Best Men! It's been on list since it came out and I can't wait to get to it!
ReplyDeleteCarrie - I hope you'll enjoy it when you get to it!
DeleteI haven't been able to read any of these, however, i do want to read Best Men because I really love both of those authors. It makes me so happy that Best Men was such a win for you!
ReplyDeleteGreat reviews on all of these here.
Renee - I hope you'll love The Best Men when you get to it!
DeleteI have got to add Serena Bowen to my list of romance authors to try. I always see such great reviews for her books and The Best Men sounds fantastic!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne - I've never read anything by Bowen that I didn't like. I hope you'll enjoy her if/when you decide to give her a try!
DeleteI haven't read any of these, but they all sound like they have something good to offer!
ReplyDeleteThanks Angela!
DeleteSecond Chance Summer sounds so good so I'm disappointed to see it only rated 3.25 stars. Jill Shalvis wrote a similar setup last year and I absolutely loved it: Happiness For Beginners. I feel like you read it, too?
ReplyDeleteRachel - I feel like Second Chance Summer had plenty of potential but was just too short (206 pages) to really fulfill it. I've never read Happiness for Beginners. I've actually only read one book by Shalvis! That was The Family You Make. But now I'm intrigued by the other one.
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